With Thanksgiving come up in less than a week, I wanted to
write a list of things that I am thankful for.
1. My parents
I am beyond thankful for my parents. They have supported me
in everything that I do, and have allowed me to leave the nest without
hesitation. When I decided to move ten hours away to go to University, they
helped me move into my new dorm. When I exclaimed that I was going to Baton
Rouge, to work as a City Year Corps member, my dad flew into North Carolina,
rented a moving van, and helped me drive 16 hours to my new home. When I
decided to apply for the Peace Corps they helped me with my application, and
when I got my invitation to South Africa, they didn’t hesitate before
celebrating with me. Without my parents loving support, and “yes” attitude with
everything I have desired to do, I couldn’t have become the person I am today.
2. My sweet puppy, Vuvuzela
Out of all the goodbyes before leaving to South Africa, the
hardest one was to my puppy. I remember sitting on the steps of my apartment in
Wilmington, NC not wanting to pick up my bags and leave Zela behind. She gave
me the biggest puppy dog face, let me hug her for waayyy to long (definitely
almost missed my flight), and allowed me to leave. Not only did she let me
leave, she was fine being shuffled between friends and family. I can’t wait to
see her when I return to America.
Pictured: When Zela still lived in Wilmington.
Pictured: Zela when she moved to my parent's and was introduced to my mother's friend's newborn baby.
2. My students
I believe I have the most amazing group of students. They have
such a strong desire to learn. They work hard in class, and willingly stay
after school to work on their reading, computers, and writing. They also
inspire me to be a better teacher both in and out of the classroom.
Pictured: A message of my students left that reads "Solomon is the good writer in English but now I dont no how to talk english perfect but I will"
Pictured: My students after graduating from the Grassroot Soccer Skills program.
Pictured: Teaching the younger students how to play twister in my office.
4.
My own education
Since graduating high school, I have realized that in many
parts of America and the world, a good education from a public school is far
from the norm. As a graduate from the Pittsburgh Public School system, I have
realized how lucky I was to have such incredible teachers in my life. I learned so much from my teachers, from the
love of reading, to the importance of understanding other cultures, to thinking
outside of the box.
5.
Access to running water
Being one of the only PCVs in my cohort with running water,
I have realized the ease that running water brings. When I wash dishes, I don’t
have to go and pump water. When I want to bathe, I don’t have to fill a bucket
with water. When I want to drink water, I don’t have to filter it first. I don’t
have to store up water every week and ration it out. It is such a blessing to have clean running water, every single day.
6.
Understanding how much time is saved by a
washing machine
About a month before I left for South Africa, my friend
Jordan laughed and said You’re going to
have to wash your laundry by hand! Although I do have running water, I do
not have a laundry machine. After learning to wash laundry, and try to figure
out the least time consuming way to do it, I’ve realized how important and life
changing washing machines must have been in The States. When I do laundry every
weekend, it could take from two hours (if I decided to wash only darks), to the
whole day (this is when I have to wash everything, from socks to towels). I am
only one person, if I was a mother with a family of ten, washing the clothes
for the whole family could very easily turn into a full time job. As a female, access
to washing machines could dramatically change the future of women in countries
where there are none. To have a washing machine could free up time for a woman
to go to university, or to read a book, or to get a job. All in all, washing
machines are incredible.
7.
Books
I am so thankful for all the books I have and trade with
other PCVs. These books have given me something to do on boring Tuesday nights,
especially on nights when there is load shedding (a.k.a. no electricity).
Kindles are also awesome!
8.
External hard drive
One of the first things I learned before joining the Peace
Corps, was to get an external hard drive and stock up on movies. I didn’t
really think anything of it, and decided against getting one. But, when
Christmas rolled around, my ex-boyfriend (who as a marine, had been told to do
the same thing when he got deployed) gave me one as a Christmas present. As my
time continued in Peace Corps, I realized how important and how wonderful this
gift was. I have been able to watch the same TV series with other PCVs and
message them throughout the seasons (I think there are a few that are getting sick of me messaging them every time there's a twist in Scandal). I’ve watched scads of movies and
documentaries. It’s been great when it’s too dark to go outside, and I’m too
tired to read a book.
9.
Facebook, skype and whatsapp
Definitely thankful for each of these things. I’m so happy
that I’ve been able to stay in touch with all of my friends back home, and
message my parents every single day about all the things that I’m doing in
South Africa. I do not know how PCVs did this before skype, and other forms of
easy communication, because to me, it's my life line.
10.
Supportive friends
To piggyback on my last statement, I’m so glad that all my
friends back home have supported me, and continued to stay in communication.
With a seven hour time difference, I wake up to messages every morning from
friends asking how I am, or picture of them laying on the beach (rude!). But no
matter what it is, I’m happy that I’m still on their mind as their world
continues to grow and change in America.
Pictured: These two taunt me every time they hang out and send me a picture of them together.
Pictured: My friend sending my pictures of him lying on the beach.
Pictured: This is cruel and unusual punishment. Everyone knows how much I love and miss pierogies.
11.
PCV Friends
The importance of my PCV friends are just as much as my
supportive friends back home. I wouldn’t be able to survive Peace Corps without
them. My PCV friends understand what we are all going through. We understand
the cultural shocks, the funny misunderstanding, the amount we miss our family,
friends and our old life. We are each other’s shoulders, support, and best
friends. We share gifts from home, books that we have read, movies and TV shows
that we like. We message each other when we’re lonely, and joyously share a
bottle of wine when two get together.
Pictured: Braaing at the game reserve to celebrate 4th of July.
Pictured: Celebrating my birthday with other PCVs.
Pictured: My wonderful cohort after a week long training.
12.
Finding incredible friends and boyfriend in
South Africa
Outside of my Peace Corps friends, I have made a ton of
South African friends. My host siblings and I message back and forth almost
every week, and I’m planning a visit with them in two weeks for a wedding. I
have made friends with multiple people at the running club. My neighbours at the game reserve continue to
invite me over for braais. I have a best friend here, who I can cook dinner
with on random Tuesdays. Finding a boyfriend here has been an incredibly weird
experience, one that I never expected would have happened. My South African
boyfriend, along with my South African friends have all accepted all the weird
American things about me. They have also embraced and fallen in love with all
my Peace Corps friends. They have shown me South Africa in a way I would never
have seen it without them as my guide, and I in return how taught them about America (and I have learned
how weird and different America really is).
Pictured: Showing South Africans the great holiday that is Halloween.
Pictured: Celebrations with my host sisters.
Pictured: Celebrating my birthday with my South African bestie.
Pictured: Finding the South African hidden treasures with my South African boyfriend.
Pictured: Nights out with my local friends.
13.
Warm weather
A summer girl at heart, I’m so thankful for the warm weather
in South Africa. I have always shut down when it turns to snow in the states,
and to live somewhere, where it’s almost always summer year round, is heaven
for me. Now… all I need is a beach.
Note: This was the dead of winter.
14.
Running
As an avid runner, I’m so thankful to have other PCVs who
also love to run, because they motivate me to continue to run, and to run
longer and faster (they’ve also convinced me to sign up for Comrades, 94k's
anyone?!?). I am so thankful for locating a running club on Wednesday
afternoon. They have become part of my family, and I’m so happy to have
wonderful running buddies, who have taught me more about running in the past ten moths than I have learned in the past ten years. Finally I’m
thankful I have been able to pass on my love of running to my students. They
now come to me and ask if I’m running after school every day.
Pictured: Skukuza Half Marathon with the Polokwane Athletic Club.
Pictured: Running break with a few of my students.
Pictured: Me and a few of my friends after my first race in South Africa.
15.
Acceptance
I am thankful for how my co-workers have accepted me into
their lives. They have let me into their lives, invited me to family dinners,
to weddings, to lunch. We giggle every day at work, and help each other out when one of us is floundering. They call me on weekends to make sure I'm not alone, and make sure that I get tickets to see all the soccer games at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
16.
Seeing animals on a daily basis
As anyone knows, I’m obsessed with animals. I’ve always
rescued cats off the streets, owned a puppy, and couldn’t say no to giving a dog
a belly rub. Although the animals in my backyard are a far cry from dogs and
cats, seeing them outside of a zoo and in their normal habitat is an incredible
experience. I see a giraffe almost every time I go for a run through the game
reserve, but every time its beauty stops me dead in my tracks. I cannot be more
thankful to see all these majestic creatures almost every day.
17.
This experience
I’m so thankful to have been given this experience of living
in South Africa. Yesterday marks 300 days of living in South Africa, an it’s
incredible that it has been that long (I only have 16 months left!), but at the
same time it’s amazing that it’s hasn’t, because like I say to everyone who
asks me how I like South Africa: South Africa
feels like home!
